Automobile signal



March 111 1924. 1,466,554

F. W. WELLS, JR

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Oct. 5, 1922 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 11, 1924.

'UNETED STATES assa.

arsr

rnrsn WARREN WELLS, an, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR or one- HALF T0 WILLIAM F. 'soREnsoN, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

Application filed October 5, 1922. Serial No. 592,480.

To all whom it may (JOILCTWH;

Be it known that I, FRED TV. \VnLLs, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automobile Signal, of which the following is a specification.

My. invention relates to in'iprovements in devices adapted to be attached to auto mobiles and operated for the purpose of showing or indicating direction, etc., and

consists essentially of a perforated signal box or casing equipped with one or more (generally a plurality of) sign or indicator plates which are spring actuated in one direction, and with a lamp or lamps, a key box or casin e ui )ed with mechanism for e 1 Pl operating said plates against the resiliency of their springs, and with an electric switch, a conduit between said-casings, and pullwires leading from said plates in said firstnamed casing, through said conduit, to said operating means in said second-named cas ing, together with suitable wiring for said .lamps and switch, and such other parts and members as may be necessary or desirable in order to render the signal complete and serviceable in every respect, all as hereinafter set forth.

The primary object of my invention is to produce an automobile signal which can be. readily attached to practically any ma chine, and is comparatively simple and in expensive in. construction and simple in operation, and not liable to become impaired by the elements, or 'to get out of order from other causes.

A further object is to'provide a signal of this character which is capable of being equipped with any reasonable number of sign plates, and of being electrically illuminated at night, whenever any sign plate which embodies a practical form of my invention, a portion of the front of the signal casing being broken away to show the parts behind, and portions of the pull-wires and conduit therefor being broken away to economize space; Fig. 2, a central, transverse, vertical section through said signal casing; Fig. 3, a longitudinal, vertical section through the key casing, showing the signplate and electric-switch-opcratin mechanism in elevation; Fig. a transverse, vertical section through said key casing looking toward the rear, said mechanism, with the exception of said switch, being omitted, and, Fig. 5, a diagram of the wiring used in connection with and forming a part of the electric-light feature of the invention.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the several views. For the purposes of this description the side of the signal casing which appears in 1, being the side nearer the operator, is assumed to be the front side, and the end of the key casing which appears in said View, being the end nearer the operator, is assumed to be the front end.

- The enclosing members of this signal comprise a casing or box 1 which is designed to be attached to the left-hand upright of the wind-shield, or to some other suitable supporting part, of an automobile. and to extend outwardly at right-angles to the left-hand side of the vehicle; a casing or box 2 designed to be attached to said wind-shield, or to the dash-board or other supporting part of said vehicle, where said last-named box is easily accessible to the hand of the operator; and a conduit 3 connecting said boxes. The conduit 3 is preferably made of flexible materialpand has one terminal inserted in the open end of a downwardlyextending nipple 4 in the center of the bottom of the box 1, and there in secured by means of a screw 5, and the other terminal inserted in an upwardlyextending nipple 6 on top of the box 2, and therein secured by means of another screw The signal box 1 is rectangular, has fairly wide, horizontal slots or openings T'? in the front and back sides thereof, said slots extending nearly the whole length of said box, and being in exact registry with each other. The box 1 is provided at the ends with pluralities of beads or spacers S which form vertical grooves and serve as guides for a plurality of sign plates 9. there being five such plates. The spacers 8 extend upwardly to within a short distance of the V l Theupward moren'ientot the PllllaWlUQ retop of the box 1. and downwardly to within a short distance of the bottom of said box. The ends of the plates 9 extend into the grooves between the spacers 8, and each of said plates is apable of being moved up and down in the pair of grooves in which are located the ends of such plate.

That portion of the box 1 which is above the openings 7 may be in the form of a removable cover, which cover is secured to other portions of. said box with screws or by other means.

The box is provided on each side thereof. above the opening 7 in such sid with a hood or reflector 10. and with an electric lamp 11 in such reflector. The reflectors 10 direct the rays of light from the lamps 11. when.

lighted dowmrardly to illuminate any sign plate 9 which is in position to be exposed through the openings 7. Wires l2 and 13 enter the box 1 at one end, and each is connected with one of the lamps 11.

The pull-wires 14. lead from the sign plates 9 downwardly through the nipple -'l into and through the conduit 3, to and through the nipple 6. and into the key box The nipples 4- and 6 have oppositely-ilisposed, inclined sides arranged to enable the pull wires ll; to be spread apart or fanned out in such. a manner as to facilitate attaching the same to the plates 9. and to the.operating inechanisn'i, presently to he described. in the; Each pull-wire le'l. is fastened at the box 2. upper end. at 15, to one of the plates 9 near the bottom edge and in the vertical center thereof.

The sign plates 9 are normally retained in elevated position. out of sight above the openings 7, by resilient or yielding means, such as two springs 16 for each plate. A transverse pin 17 is provided in the top of the box 9 near each end thereof. and one of the springs for each plate 9 is coiled around such pin, has one terminal inserted in a vertical passage drilled to receive it in the adjacent end'of the box, as represented at 18. and has the other terminal bent into the form of a, hook and connected with the plate 9 below through the medium of a link 19. Each link 19 is inserted 111 a hole in its plate 9 near lh e1 upper edge thereof and about one-fourth pull-wire is released, the springs then drawing the plateupwardly into the closed part ofthe box, and taking with 1t said pull-wire.

stores the members b iymeans of which it was drawn downwardly to normal position.

The key box is provided in'the top behind the nipple ll with a socket 20 "for the passage of electric wires. a similar socket-.20

being provided in the signal box 1. for the wires 12 and 13.

Extending across the back end inside of the key box 2 a series of bearings 21 for a horizontal shaft The bearings 21 afford lire vertiail slots for the reception of as many bell-crankl.evers 23, the elbows of which levers are loosely mounted on the shaft Each pull-wire 14; has its lower end attached to the free end of the long arm of one of the bell-crank-lerers such arm being above the other and shorter arm of the lerer. A push-key 24 extends through the front end of the box 2, and has its rear terminal pivotall connected at with the free terminal of the lower and shorter arm of one ofthe bell-crank-levers The push-keys 24 are arranged in two banks, with two of such keys in the upper bank and three in the lower bank. Each puslrkey passes through an opening 26 in the front end of the box 2. the lower edge of which opening is inclined downwardly and forwardly or outwardly froni'the inside. In the underside of each pushkeaf 24 is a notch 2'? which adapted to receive the lower edge of the opening through which said key extends. when the latter is actuated downwmrdly, and thus to retain said keyin such position, until the key is raised'to disengage the slotted part thcreoffrom said edge. The push-keys Q-l in, the lower hank are approximately horizontal. while those in the upper bank necessarily .incline' from the front end downwardly and rearwardly.

The parts and memhersare so proportioned that. when-any push-key 2% is forced im'ardlynntil its notched part can be interlocked with the front end of the box 2, the

bell-crank-lever 23. with which said key is connected. is operatedina manner to exert a downwa rd pull on the pull-wire 14 that isattached to said lever. and thus draw the sign plate 9,1 0 which said wire is attached, down into position fully to'expose such plate,

through the openings 7. ;.At this time the lower arm, of the bell-erank-lever which has just been actuated. is carried rearwardly into engagement with a'rcsilient contact member 28 and forces the-same against a contact member The contact members 28 .and 29 form an electric switcln: and the are at taehed to the back side of the'box '2 below the bearings 21, and have sutlicient horizontal pro]eet1on to enable said member '28 to he engaged by any push-keg: :24 when actuof each push-key 2-1 is tipped with a piece'of insulating material 3.1, so that the current which passes through the switch when closed is prevented from being grounded.

A wire 32 connects the lamps 11. The terminal of the wire 12 opposite to that which is connected with one of the lamps 11 is connected with a contact member 33. The end of the wire 13 which is opposite to that which is connected with the other lamp 11 is connected with the contact member 29. A wire 34 extends between the contact mem ber 28 and a contact member 35. The contact members 33 and constitute the main switch in the electric circuit of the machine,

and the light circuit, which includes the wires 12, 13, 32, and 34;, and the contact members 28 and 29, is a part of said circuit. W hen the aforesaid main switch is closed, and the switch which comp 'ises the members 28 and 29 is also closed, the current passes from the contact member 33 through the wires 12 and 32 to the lamps 11, and through the wire 13, said switch members 28 and 29, and the wire 34 to the contact member The sign plates 9 bear various inscriptions or insignia. In the present example, the foremostplate has inscribed on each side thereof the word Left. and this plate is controlled by the left-hand push key 24 in the lower bank; the plate directly behind the foremost one has inscribed thereon the word Ahead, and is controlled by the lefthand push key in the upper bank; the next plate may have inscribed thereon the word Stop, and is controlled by the middle pushkey in the lower bank; the fourth plate may have inscribed thereon the words Back up, and is controlled by the righthand pushkey in the upper bank; and the rearmost plate may have inscribed thereon the word Right, and is controlled by the right-hand push-key in the lower bank. It follows, therefore, that any one of the inscriptions just mentioned may be brought into yiew through the openings 7 by pressing inwardly the push-key which controls the same, and may be held in exposed position so long as said key remains in locked position. Upon unlocking any push-key, by 'aising the same to withdraw the notched portion thereof from engagement with the front end of the box 2. the springs 16, from which is suspended the plate 9 actuated downwardly int-o exposed position and there held by said key, immediately act to carry said plate upwardly out of sight. taking with it the at tached pull-wire 'l-l. and. tl'irough the me dium of said wire, causing the attached bellcrank-lever 23 to be rocked into normal position again, and the connected push-key to be thrust outwardly or forwardly into its former or normal position.

In the drawings the foremost plate 9 is disposed in exposed position. having been drawn downwardly, against the resiliency of its two supporting springs 16, by thelefthand push key 2% in the lower bank, through the medium of the left-hand pull-wire 14:, said key having been forced inwardly and the notched portion thereof caused to interlock with the lower edge of the opening 26 through which said key extends. At this time, if the main switch (33 and 35) be closed, the lamps 11 are lighted, because the aforesaid push-key in its rearward movement has caused the contact member 28 to engage the contact member 29 and thus close the switch which controls the circuit to and through the lamps 11, and said key when locked causes such switch to remain closed. As soon as the lefthand lower pushkey 2 L is unlocked and permitted to be actuated forwardly, the switch (28 and 29)opens and the lamps are extinguished. In the day-time, or at such other times as the main switch is open, the sign plates as and when exposed are not illuminated from or by the lamps 11.

The push-keys may be operated. of course, without employing the locking element associated therewith.

It is preferred to provide two springs instead of one of each sign plate. because a better balanced action is thereby obtained.

More or less change in the shape, construction, and arrangement of some or all of the parts of this signal may be made without departing from the spirit of my inycntion, or exceeding the scope of what is claimed.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

1. The combination, in an automobile sig nal, with a perforated casing ha ing approximately yertical passages in the ends thereof, a plate arranged to slide up and down in said casing. transverse pins at the ends of said casing adjacent to said passages, and springs coiled around said pins and extending therefrom in one direction into said passages and in the other direction inwardly, said plates being supported from the inner terminals of said springs. and normally retained thereby out of registry with the perforation in said casing. of means to actuate said plate. against the resiliency of said springs. into registry with said perfo ation.

2. The combination. in an automobile signal, with a casing ha ing openings in the front and back sides and passages in the ends thereof. and provided with interior guides, transverse pins adjacent to said passages in the ends 01 said casing, springs said pull-wires, whereby any of said Wires oiled around said pins and extending there may be actuated to draw the plates to which 10 from in one (lireetien into said passages and the Wire is attached into exposedPos-ition. III the other direction inwardly, a plurality FRED VARREN WELL-S JR.

of plates suspended from the inner terminals of said springs, and normally retained there- \Vitnesses: by above said openings, and pull-Wires at- M. F. SORENSON,

tached to said plate, 01 operating means for i F. A. CUTTER. 

